Many forms of dispensing containers and storage vessels for pharmaceutical compositions have been introduced to the market in recent years. Pharmaceutical compositions, particularly those in the form of pre-measured tablets, pills, powders and capsules have been dispensed from vials, bottles, or blister packages.
More recently, blister packages have been designed to be child resistant. That is, the packages have been designed to be particularly resistant to opening by younger children yet manageable for an adult. In many cases, multiple steps must be performed in sequence to open a child safety blister package. Another convenience of a child safety, blister package is that individual dosages of a composition may be separately sealed in blister cavities, wherein each individual cavity has the child safety feature. After administration of a dosage of a composition, the empty portion of the blister cavity may be removed from remain cavities and disposed.
Along with instructions and scheduling information that may be included in the pharmaceutical treatment card, the blister package may serve as an aid for self-administration of a composition as prescribed. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,912,082; 4,011,949; 4,125,190; 5,088,603; 5,172,812; 5,758,774; 6,155,414; 4,752,003; 6,155,423; and 5,915,559.
Presently, there is a need for a more child resistant blister package, perhaps incorporated into a pharmaceutical treatment card. Generally, the child resistant, blister package must present difficult for young children, e.g. ranging of about 27 to about 60 months of age, to open. At the same time, the pharmaceutical treatment blister card should present no difficulty for adults to open. A pharmaceutical treatment card incorporating a blister package may provide useful instruction, information and advertising space for the manufacturer of a pharmaceutical composition contained therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,500 to Godfrey et al., issued Jul. 27, 1999 suggest a pharmaceutical containment package characterized by cover and backing layers constructed of a reinforcing fabric substrate having a blister card disposed there between. However, Godfrey et al. fails to provide a child resistant blister within the package. Generally, an individual dosage of a pharmaceutical composition may be pushed through a perforated backing conforming to the general shape of the dosage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,505 to Hofmann et al., issued Aug. 26, 1998 teaches a childproof, blister package, characterized as a multiple layer assembly, having a 2×3 array of individually sealed, blister cavities with vertical and horizontal, perforation lines for separating each blister pack. At the intersections of vertical and horizontal perforation lines, there are cavities wherein the layers thereunder are unsealed. Separation of a section of the package produces a pull-tab from the unsealed area, wherein pulling the tab separates the layer from the blister cavity to expose a pill.
PCT publication WO 97/02192, published Mar. 16, 1999 suggest a multiple layer blister pack having a 2×8 array of individual, blister cavities. The pack has a lid foil layer connected to a base foil layer with two parallel and offset rows of individual blisters, wherein perforation lines on each side of the lid foil divide the blister rows, and perforation lines, perpendicular to the lid foil layer divide each offset row. At each intersection of parallel and perpendicular, perforation lines, there is a notch cavity. In removing a pill from a blister cavity, an individual blister is separated from the pack along the perforation lines, exposing the layers underneath the notch cavity. The layers peel away from the blister cavity to dislodge the pill.
There is a need for a more advanced blister package. A package that provides adequate sealing and child safety, yet is manageable for an adult to easily open, while also incorporating the features of a treatment card, i.e. providing dosage instructions, safety precautions, etc. For example, the pharmaceutical treatment blister card may have instructional information printed on the packaging itself, or it may contain all relevant information within the blister card to which consumers may refer. The pharmaceutical treatment blister card may also contain a compartment that enables the user to maintain a written log relating to the usage of the product contained therein with as little inconvenience as possible.